The Bookstore
by Twitz
Summary: Two strangers meet at a bookstore, slowly, the two of them fall for each other. But things will not be forever easy on them. KanataXMiyu. Chapter 6 up!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Daa! Daa! Daa! (UFO Baby).**

**Hi again!!! So, like before, I thought of this story I got from a group of friends when they had a role play, and it kinda got in to me to write something about it. Well anyway, please enjoy reading!**

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I thought I was a loser. A loser who couldn't do a thing to help himself.

I was on the verge of losing everything since my parents broke up. If you think them, breaking up like that would need a divorce to be formally and legally known. Simple! My parents COULDN'T even afford it!

They couldn't even afford to pay my school anymore, so I was forced to quit school. I've been wandering the streets aimlessly since this morning. I'm hungry and I smelled funny. My parents weren't able to pay for our apartment for two months so my family got kicked out. And, unexpectedly, wait, I should've had expected this anyway.

They left me.

What is the world turning into?

I should just die. But. Wait!

Oh my God! This is the book I've been dying to buy since I was in junior high! I thought to myself.

_Making a Sense Out of Life_

_Mackey Wilbert  
_

_$21.50_

Shoot. Like the day it was released, it's still too expensive. I can't even afford a cheap pair of sneakers which only cost four dollars!

Just go away and forget about the darn book! It's not like you can't live without it, even if I had that much money with me right now, I'd rather save it for food. Leave. Must leave before my eyes pop out.

But, before I could turn around and leave the place, something, no, someone caught my eyes. When I walked to the door and looked through the glass window, I saw this beautiful girl. Automatically, my hand reached for the door knob and went inside. I was like, possessed. Possessed by her beauty. Those golden locks, which were long and curly, and those incredibly green eyes. I instantly got mesmerized by them… Without knowing, this girl who was inches away from me would become my friend, my girlfriend, and eventually, my wife.

Well, let me start from day I first met her.

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"I'm so hungry! And I'm shivering so badly! Why did we have to be kicked out mercilessly like this on a cold and snowy day! Ugh, if the day comes that I'll be the one who'll be rich, God knows what I'll do to them!" He kept cursing under his breath while he walked down the streets. The last thing he wanted to think about was getting hypothermia. It was a good thing that he managed to get one of his father's jacket. He rubbed his hands and hugged himself. _So cold_ he thought. His eyes were searching aimlessly for a store to shelter on for the time being. As he was walking, almost shaking profusely due to the coldness of that day, he passed by a bookstore and happened to see something that made a big smile on his lips, that he almost jumped for joy.

_Making a Sense Out of Life_

_Mackey Wilbert  
_

_$21.50_

"This is the book I've been looking for ages!!!" As soon as he saw the price, his arms fell in frustration and disappointment.

"Twenty-one dollars and fifty cents. Great. I can't even buy some new shoes. Get away, just leave Kanata, before your eyes drool at it." After feeling defeated, something again, caught his attention. Wait, it wasn't a something, more of a _someone_. _Goosebumps_ he thought. It wasn't like it was a ghost or something. Suddenly, he felt the urge to go near the door, and placed his hand on the door knob. Walking slowly as he entered, his gaze fell upon a girl, with long golden locks that fell until her waist, a face which he thought belonged to an angel, like her real mother, who died when he was just three years old, and those set of incredibly green eyes that he seemed to be lost looking at. "How mesmerizing..." He said to himself as he continued to look at her.

The pretty girl, as he described her, chuckled when she met his gaze. She approached her and snapped her hand when she found out that he was kind of spacing out. "Hello?" The girl said. He didn't seem to hear so she touched his shoulder, to which he finally noticed that someone was talking to him.

"Wha-wha-what?" _He seemed kinda startled. Must be sick or something_, the girl thought to herself. "Are you okay?" She asked him, he could sense the worried look in her eyes. For a moment there, he looked at her eyes, lost in them again. It reminded him of his mother, everytime he got hurt or had a nightmare, her face would always look like this.

She snapped her fingers at him again.

"You must be totally out of it." She told him as she let out a small laugh. She left him there, still gazing at her, then she went towards the front part of the store to get something. A book.

"Did you wanted this?"

"Uh huh."

She chuckled again from his reaction. He was like a little boy who liked agreed unconsciously upon receiving a really nice robot toy. She handed the book to him and placed her hand on his shoulder again.

"Do you want to buy it? I can wrap it up for you if it's a gift for a friend or so."

It was then that it finally occured to him that he couldn't even afford the book... even for a gift wrap.

"N-no! No... I'm not buying the book... I was just looking at it, really..." With his reply, she could sense a feeling of sorrow from his voice. It sounded more of _I really, really want that book!!!_. Like before, she laughed at him again.

"It seems so hard to believe that you don't want this book. When I saw you staring at it so intently earlier, you almost melted looking at it even if you were shivering outside." He could sense that the girl was studying him, looking at him from top to bottom. _Must be because she's rich, well, she does look rich to me_, he thought. But by the way she talked to him, it seemed that she was a nice person. "Really? But... even if you're true, I still can't buy the book... I don't have enough money for it..." He sadly said to her, his frown casting upon his lips, it made her feel weary that pitied for him.

"If you want, I can give you a discount. How much do you have?" She asked, smiling at him. It made him feel calm, as it she was his mother, inviting him to come _home_. She waited for his response, to which he just shook his head. "I'm sorry... I'm really broke right now," He explained to her, his eyes still glued momentarily on the book. She crossed her arms and thought for a while, then she left him again and went to the counter. At the counter was a man, he seemed to be in his early forties. The girl leaned to him and whispered something in his ear, to which the man replied by nodding, with a smile on his face, he tapped the girl's head and motioned her to return.

"Here, you can have it." She said, handing him the book. It made his eyes widen. But still, he received the book from her with a delighted expression. "Really? I can?" _He has such beautiful eyes_, she thought, that she almost got lost in them, together with his unruly hair. "Of course you can! It's not everyday someone as young as you would want to read a book like that." She said, referring to the book he was now holding. He just nodded and continued to smile. And upon seeing that smile, she smiled as well, not only because of the fact that she had a young customer like him, because of the fact that their bookstore only sold books, which adults would prefer to read.

"Thank you, so much. I really am thankful." To her, his eyes were really expressive. She could sense that he was really happy and thankful. So he held both of his hands that were on hold with the book and raised it, leveling at their chests.

"Please, do enjoy reading it."

It made him raise his head, because earlier he was just staring at the book. "I will, I promise!" The bell at the door suddenly rang, meaning that there was a customer who just stepped inside.

"Miyu!" The voice sounded like they were from two girls. The girl, who now Kanata knew what her name was, turned around to see who it was that called her.

"Aya! Nanami!" She replied, making her way to the two girls who were at the door.

"We've come to fetch you! We guessed your phone was off so we decided to come by." Aya, a short girl, who you can assume as someone who's in grade school, having her long hair braided into two sides.

"You did promise to come with us to the mall, right?" Nanami, the other girl beside Aya, reminded her. "I did?" Miyu wondered as she tapped the side of her head with her pointer finger and turned around. _Shoot! They're gonna kill me, I totally forgot I had to do something important too today!_

"Uhm... You see -" Before she could answer Nanami, the two girls barged towards her and flashed a magazine right in front of her face.

"See this?"

Upon hearing her, Miyu scanned the magazine. Rolling her eyes, something caught her attention and she grabbed the magazine from them immediately. _No way!!! They have this??? There's no way I'm gonna miss this! NO WAY!!!_ She was like jumping inside her mind that she grabbed her coat that was near the counter and dragged her two friends outside the door, leaving Kanata clueless inside.

"Bye?"

He was left here sighing, because the three girls ran like a flash of lightning. Even with that, a smile played on his lips and he looked at the book he was holding. _Making a sense out of life, right now, my life doesn't have any sense at all, but, I can feel something good is gonna happen_.

He can still be hopeful.

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Uh... Got nothing to say hehe, so please just R&R, and I'll come up with the next chapter pretty soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Just a little something I wanna say, the author 'Mackey Wilbert' in chap 1, he's just a product of my imagination, a combination of the two names I've read from a novel. So with that, let me get on with the story. ^_^**

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"You know snow, before I loved you, but now I really am beginning to hate you."

He couldn't help it, instead of the snow making him happy, it was making him shake like he was an epileptic or something. He angrily kicked the pile of snow that was building up on his shoes. "Darn it! Now where am I going to go? Ah! Silly me. I don't have my parents right now, but I do have some friends left." The idea of going to Santa Korus hit his mind that very moment. Of all the things that could be forgotten, why did he ever forget about Santa? The one guy who could him help even if he himself didn't when they were still in school? With that, he started walking.

He just hugged himself tightly as he walked to Santa's house. Funny. His name is Santa, now too irony to think of since it was Christmas time and it was snowing. He played something by kicking a can of soda while walking to his friend's house. On the way, he passed by a park. He then remembered something.

"_Kanata honey, come here." A woman with long hair called out her son who was playing with at the sand box. "Mama, mama!" Little Kanata said to his mom as he ran towards her, almost tripping because the laces of his shoes were untied. When he arrived at where she was sitting, he hugged her tightly that it made her giggle._

"_Having fun my dear?"_

"_Yup! I love the sand! It's almost the same as snow, only that it's color brown mama. Mama?"_

"_Yes dear, what is it?"_

"_Can we come here everyday after you come home from work?" The little boy asked, his smile almost melting his mother's heart._

"_Of course dear, mama will always take you here after work, and papa will too, but before that, we need to go home because it's getting dark soon, and you need to drink your milk, okay?" His mother replied to him, standing up and holding his hand. The boy just nodded and started to walk with his mother. Together, hand in hand, they both went home, as the sunset shone behind their backs, letting them have the shadows beside them grow tall._

"I miss you, mama. If you just didn't have leukemia… Things would've stayed the same. Dad wouldn't have gone nuts. Not that I'm blaming you for the situation right now. It's just that, we both miss you a lot." He could feel the tears running down his cheeks. He gently wiped them with his finger. He could feel that his tears were cold, just like the day when his mom died, it was snowing as well. That was why he hated snow, because he thought that if it would snow, it would be the time he'll feel really happy, but then, it snowed as well during the day his mom died at the hospital, with her hands reaching out to him, she slowly tilted her head, and pointed a finger towards the direction of the window.

"Mama..."

He just continued on walking when he bumped into someone, because his face was looking on the ground. The both of them fell on the ground and exchanged 'ouch's'.

"Hey man, watch where you're going!" The boy who he bumped into said as he stood up and cleaned his pants that were dusted as he fell on the ground. Looking up as Kanata stood up, it was his friend, Santa.

"Santa!" He shrieked upon seeing him. He hugged his friend immediately.

"Whoa! Hey there buddy! What's up? You look beat man!" Santa looked at him from head to toe. Eye bugs developed under his eyes. His lips were so pale. He didn't even have earmuffs on. And he was grinding his teeth since his jacket didn't provide enough warmth for him. "Yeah... You know the situation already right, you should be expecting this." A frown formed on his lips, Santa couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "Hey man, if there's anything I could do for you, just say it, I'll be here to help out!" He could sense the sincereness in Santa's voice. It was the first time he realized that he had a 'real' friend. Back at school, everyone wanted to be his friend, because he was 'cool', 'good-looking' and 'everyone's dream friend' or whatever they call it. He even thought that Santa was one of them. But now, he finally realized that he was one of those people who weren't plastic to him.

"Uhm... You see, to be honest with you, right now, I've got nowhere else to stay..." _Kanata? Nowhere to stay? _Santa thought to himself. He felt pity towards him, like what he said, if there was anything that he could do for him, he'll do it. A shelter wouldn't be a problem, besides, his parents were always away because of business, so it was just him and the maids in their house. "You can stay at my place for the time being." Santa said to him, tapping his shoulders with his big hand. Kanata could feel a glimmer of hope. _Santa is such a good friend._

Kanata thanked him for offering a place to stay. He asked Santa where he was going and his friend replied he just went out of the house to run some errands. Even if Santa was rich, he loved collecting old stuff. Antique stuff. Old CD's (the large ones), and so much more that were enticing to his eyes. As the two of them walked, Kanata felt the need to tell him about his family's, ex-family's situation.

"My parents broke up, we got kicked out, and they made me quit school." Santa's jaw almost dropped from hearing this. Judging from how Kanata's aura at school is so cool and reserved, he couldn't believe his ears right now. At school, if someone had a problem, they are just so public with it, unlike Kanata, he's just there at his desk, gazing at the sky outside the window. Everyone envied him because he would always look so calm and carefree.

"Hey, don't quit school! It's the last year of high school and you're quiting? Seriously you can't man. It's not worth it if you repeat the whole grade again."

"Hey, it's okay. We don't have any money right, I mean, I, don't even have five dollars here inside my wallet. My stepmother, she practically stole everything I saved in my piggy bank!" Santa giggled hearing this.

"You have a piggy bank? Seriously..." He cackled like crazy. "Hahahaha! My stomach hurts! Hahahahaha!" He continued to cackle until Kanata himself laughed too, and in the middle of the street, they fell on their backs on the snow, like two little boys, playing and frolicking on the snowy field. They must've went back to their younger stage, because they were forming an angel using their arms and legs. Kanata realized at that time, that he hadn't laughed and had fun like this for such a long time already. Indeed, he missed the old times.

"Hey Kanata, about school,"

"What about it?

"Don't worry about it, you have plenty of friends. I'm sure your fangirls will be willing to help you too."

"Are you sure they'll want to help me? They might even despise me since I'm poor now..." Santa could feel anger in Kanata's voice, but still, as his friend, he was determined to help him out, since he was the only one who knew that since their second year in high school, Kanata's parents weren't able to pay for the tuition fees up until now. It was just Kanata himself who gave up his pride and asked the principal to give him time to pay his debts, but now the principal couldn't cover for him any longer, because the director was sensing some faults in Kanata's record.

"Of course! I heard they even stalked you one time, so it's pretty much possible that they'll want to help you out financially. And besides, all the teachers love you! You excel not only in sports, but also in academics! So just relax buddy, you'll be back at school in no time at all!" Santa reassured him. For a moment there, he felt like Santa would be such a good brother. In times like this, it's really good to have a friend you can depend on "Is that so? My... I can't imagine having them following me for the rest of my life. Well anyway, it's good to hear that buddy." He said, feeling relieved because there's still a chance that he could go back to school. Santa just smiled at him and motioned him to go to a nearby store with him to buy some stuff the maids needed.

"Okay."

Meanwhile, Miyu and the others were at a local mall, just a few blocks away from her father's bookstore.

"Where is it!" Miyu demanded. The thing that she was looking for was an empty, journal-like notebook which looked really antique, but gorgeous. "Oh c'mon Miyu! That was just a bait to make you come with us!" Nanami replied to her. Aya who was beside her giggled at the frustrated Miyu. "Why you little!" Aya and Nanami were chased by Miyu until Miyu herself couldn't hold it any longer and stopped running to get some air. And when she did, all she could do was giggle, giggling like crazy that some people were looking already. "I really don't understand her, first she's angry, and then the next she's laughing like an idiot!" Aya told Nanami who just nodded, "Well, we can't help it, she is very... Hmm, I don't know what's the right word, let's say, 'imaginative', must be the result of being too smart ay? That's why she's our friend!" When the two of them stopped talking, they approached Miyu and dragged her to a snack bar, because their stomachs were already growling.

On the way to the sushi bar, Miyu started a conversation again.

"Hey guys, you know, earlier this morning, there was this guy who came into our bookstore."

"Miyu, is it really that new to you that a guy would go to a bookstore?" Aya teased her as she pulled her seat and admired the chopsticks which looked fairly elegant for a cheap snack bar. "Well, of course no silly. It's just that, I rarely see boys come to our bookstore. They always go straight for mangas anyway, and my dad doesn't even sell them." Aya and Nanami looked at each other and smiled. "Could our little Miyu be... in love? Oh! Love at first site!" Nanami teased her as well, Miyu was blushing. Recalling the guy's face, he was handsome. The one thing she couldn't forget about the guy was his chocolate eyes which she seemed to be lost only staring at it.

"C'mon Aya. You know I don't believe in such stuff... Those only happen in fairytales." Miyu detested, but her two friends continued to tease her while enjoying their sushi, still talking and teasing her even if their mouths were full already. While the three of them were enjoying their treat, two voices could be heard right next to them.

"Santa, I thought we were just going to a nearby shop, yet why the heck are we here? I've been walking for hours man!" a guy complained to his companion. When Miyu turned her head to see who was talking so loud, it was him! _That's him! That's the guy I was talking about!_ She whispered to Aya and Nanami, who then looked at the people beside their table.

"Hey man, could you please stop complaining already! I wanted to go here since I was planning to buy old records! I heard there was a sale somewhere here." Santa replied back to him, their voices louder for the next table to hear.

"Jeeze. Are those guys deaf or what? It's not like they have this place for their own." Aya made her voice sound loud, enough to make Kanata and Santa hear her, to which they finally lowered their own voices. Right there, Miyu stood up and went towards the next table.

"Hi!" Santa was confused looking at her. _Is she talking to me or Kanata?_ He thought to himself, since Kanata was busy sipping his milkshake. Santa intentionally coughed so Kanata would lift his head up. To his surprise, it was the beautiful girl he was going to tell Santa about.

_She's like an angel_.

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Okay! So, finally done with this chapter. Gonna write again sometime this evening. To the reviewers, I'm really REALLY happy that you liked the first chapter! I'm going to be more determined to write if you keep on reading and reviewing! ^_^**


	3. Chapter 3

"My name is Kanata Saionji." Aya and Nanami were surprised to hear this. They immediately went over to their table and sat with them

"As in THE Kanata Saionji of Tachikawa High School?!" Kanata just nodded in response as he noticed the two girls were very surprised to hear it. Aya then clutched her bag and got hold of something, it was a photo. Nanami lowered her head in level to Aya's hand that were holding the photo. "It's really him! Oh my god it's really him!" Nanami said, pinching Miyu in the cheeks. Miyu looked confused. _Is he a fugitive or something? Might be some sort of delinquent… Oh no, I befriended a bad guy! But wait, oh, we're not even friends yet_, Miyu thought to herself. He didn't look like a scumbag or something, he just looked… normal.

"Hey girls! What about me? Don't you know me???" Poor Santa was left behind as Kanata was already dragged to Miyu's table. _Bummers! _He whispered to himself as he too followed them. Miyu just giggled at her friends actions. It was there that they explained who he really is.

"Excellent in sports and academics!" Nanami said, lifting her pointer finger in the air as she blinked at Aya, reminding her to add something.

"Son of the richest man in Fukuoka prefecture!" Aya also added.

"And last but not the least, he won the 'Teen Idol' award for three consecutive years!" The two of them looked like they worked for an ad agency or something that Miyu just giggled looking at the two.

Kanata and Santa looked at each other. Santa could sense that Kanata wants to correct them, because all what they said, except for the first and last one, was all in the past now, after what had happened to his family. Santa just smiled at his friend, and Kanata smiled back too, because he thinks it's much better if the girls know what the situation is really now.

"Actually, second thing that you said... is not true anymore."

Aya and Nanami were dumbfounded to hear this. _Could it be?_ They both thought. Yes. Sadly, it was the truth. But the two still pretended to not understand him. They wanted to know more.

"What do you mean it's not true anymore?" Nanami was the first one to ask. Her eyes were pinned on Kanata. "Well you see, since my mom died a few years ago, well actually when I was three, it seemed that dad lost his motivation to continue with the company. Eventually, the company got bankrupted, to which again, he didn't seem to care about. Mama's death really affected him so much..."

They were all silent for a moment, till Santa broke it himself.

"But your dad _did_ remarry right?" He said, pretending to not know this. Kanata just nodded and the girls seemed to be relieved. "But anyway, she didn't help much either." Kanata added.

He didn't seem to like talking about his dad's second wife. Before his dad married her, she seemed to be really nice and caring. Kanata even thought she was really all that nice and thoughtful, when his dad married her. She was shocked with all the notices they receive every end of the month. Everytime she'd show it to Kanata's dad, he holds that blank reaction in his face, and would just continue on drinking, until he'd reek of alcohol. She couldn't bear such a situation that she told him it's better for them to have a divorce. Kanata's father just laughed. Divorce? They didn't have a single penny left. They were badly broke. When Kanata himself finally knew about this, he wanted to give all his savings to his dad, innocently thinking that it might be of help of him. But when he was about to put it in a box, his stepmother suddenly barged into his room and forced him to give all his money to her. Merely a few bills and coins, she didn't care, as long as she'll not leave empty-handed. This luckily, didn't come out to the media.

His father was good friends with a tv anchorman, and he felt pity for his friend that he decided to not talk about it in the television, to save his friend from suffering total humiliation. It was a miracle that everything was securely kept a secret, not even a single word came out to the public.

"Oh, that's so sad..." Miyu said to him. Suddenly, she leaned on the table and reached for his hand. Kanata was surprised by this. She had such a soft palm, her fingers were close to perfect.

"I'm sure everything will be back to normal soon. I believe your dad will still find a way to get your lives back." She smiled as she said this. _That smile again_, he wished he could smile like that, with no worries. She squeezed his hand, again assuring him that things will be fine again, somehow.

"Yeah. I hope so. I mean, I don't really hate dad for this, I even pity him. Before, he'd spend his nights getting drunk and crying while looking at mama's picture. It's the one thing that's really great about him. He loves her more than anything else in this world, yet she was taken away too soon..." His words touched the three girls hearts, that Aya and Nanami cried hearing this, and Miyu herself couldn't help but cry too. A love, so true and pure, is now rare in this world. "It's okay man, everything happens for a reason." Santa was trying his best to not cry, he didn't want to look uncool in front of the girls. He himself was so touched by what Kanata said, he never knew about that part. "Come on, I know it sounds corny, but please don't cry over it. Seriously." The three girls wiped their eyes and just giggled, Aya was the first to speak. "I didn't know that something like this would still exist. I envy your mom Kanata. It must've felt great to have been loved like that so much." Santa, Miyu and Nanami agreed at what Aya said.

"Oh no! Look at the time! I should've been home, like thirty minutes ago! Shoot! Kanata, I need to run man, just go back to our house later, oh and girls, see ya!" He really didn't forget to flash his mischievous grin at them, especially to Nanami, who just blushed when Santa looked and blinked at her. Aya and Miyu just teased her, Nanami's cheeks were burning up, she just choked and told them she must've catched a cold, and pretended to cough a little. "C'mon Nanami! You can't hide it, you like him too!" Aya teased her again while imitating what Santa did earlier. To break the almost endless teasing from Aya, Nanami suddenly said her goodbyes to Kanata and Miyu as she dragged Aya who was still laughing and pinching her arms. Boy, she loved teasing her.

"Guess we're left by ourselves then..." Miyu said. Her eyes wandered off somewhere as she continued to sip on her glass of juice. Kanata's mind wandered off somewhere too, reminiscing the times when his mother was still alive. He was thankful that he could still remember some of it, even though only vaguely.

"Thank you."

Miyu then returned her attention to him, looking deep into his brown eyes. _Was he happy or sad that we talked about his mom?_ She thought to herself, but then again, she just smiled, though a bit confused.

"For what? I mean, I didn't do anything to be thanked." Miyu smiled saying this. Kanata replied back with a smile as head, lowered his head for a moment, and lifted it back again. _So cool_, Miyu thought. If he kept doing that, many girls would fall head over heels in love with him.

"Of course you did. You listened and you understood me. It was enough to make me thank you."

They exchanged smiles again when another minute of silence fell upon them for the second time.

"Darn... I should really get a job now..." She heard his murmuring and suddenly got an idea. She just giggled before she talked.

"If you needed a job you could've just told me." He lifted his up in amazement of what he just heard.

"Work at our bookstore. The pay isn't really that much, but I'm sure it'll be enough for you."

Her soft giggles, her assuring voice. Truly an angel, God had sent for him.

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This chappie is a little short, but I wanted it to end with Miyu inviting him to work at their bookstore. Please don't forget to R&R! ^_^**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Daa! Daa! Daa!. Also, Bridge to Terabithia isn't mine, it belongs to Katherine Paterson! :D. I'm really sorry the very late update!  
**

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The way she laughed still echoed through the walls inside Kanata Saionji's head, that he unconsciously smiled to himself. Right after accepting the work she offered, they bid their goodbyes and he walked back to Santa's house – the only place where he could live for free, for the time being.

Deep inside himself, his pride swelled, but thought that he should be thankful since Santa's done a lot for him already. He pushed the button of the door bell. No response, so he rang again. After a few tries, a voice finally came out from the speaker.

"Kanata! I'm really sorry for making you wait that long outside. It's that the maids were out, I mean all of them! This is the first time they went out together... weird huh?" Santa said as the gate automatically opened and he appeared. He scratched his head and stepped aside to let Kanata in. Kanata then sat on the soft couch and exhaled since it was really cold outside. Santa lit the fireplace to make the place warm. Kanata couldn't help but rub his hands because he was really, really cold.

"I'm going to get some DVD's in my room, we'll watch some movies here. My room is in total chaos right now you see, so can you wait here for a bit? Be right back!" He said as he made his way to the stairs and disappeared into one of the halls.

It's just now that Kanata remembered that it's Santa's birthday today. Silly kid, he thought. He always forgets his birthday. So it all makes sense now, Kanata thought. That's why all the maids were out. It was really thoughtful of them. Santa's parents weren't around, especially during the holidays and would only be available two to three hours before Christmas Eve because of their very demanding schedule.

Kanata stood up, to stretch his legs, although they were hurting a little from all the walking he did earlier. He walked around the living room. It was so spacious. Santa was an only child. The only people that were filling this house were the maids and him. His parents would only be two or thrice a week, all of it depending on their schedule of course, that's why each of Santa's parents have extra rooms in their company offices so that if they couldn't afford to go home, they can stay and still feel at home, even with all the paperwork and everything.

Not far from the television set which was a very large flat-screen t.v. was a black grand piano. Kanata always wanted to play the piano. When he was little, his parents already bough an organ, since they thought it would be a good start. Kanata's mother was a skilled pianist, he could still remember a little of her playing, but even then he didn't like the piano much and paid attention to the guitar more. It was only in high school when he realized that the piano is a very good instrument as well, and it helps people express their feelings, let it be happiness or grief, only the piece that would be played matter. He traced his fingers on its shiny head.

"Wonder what's taking him so long…" He thought to himself. He just sat and positioned his fingers on the keyboard.

Just as Santa came down, he heard a wonderful piece being played.

He literally tiptoed his way near Kanata and stood behind him. Kanata didn't notice this as he was too attached to the piece he was playing. Santa, who was behind him, couldn't help but be mesmerized by the beauty of Kanata's playing.

After he was done, Kanata was startled to hear someone who seemed to be behind him clapping.

"That was awesome!" Santa said. He couldn't figure anything else to say since he was dumbfounded by the beautiful melody that was played earlier.

"You think so? Since I started practicing, I'd normally feel satisfied after five hours…" Kanata said. Santa took a seat.

"You never told me you could play the piano. The reason why _that_ one is here is because my parents wanted me to use it. Well, you do know that my only love is the love of collecting antique stuff!" Kanata just sighed, wondering why he can never appreciate music (the piano) sat on the couch as well as Santa turned the DVD player on.

"What's the movie?" Kanata asked.

"Bridge to Terabithia. Have you seen this one?" Santa asked him as he handed the CD container to him.

"Hmm… I do recall having Ms. Yamaguchi discuss this one in English class... Is this the one where the girl dies?"

"Yeah. Well anyway, let's not spoil the movie. The actress playing that girl is really cute!"

"So you've seen this one already… Bummer." Kanata just sighed and ate some popcorn.

"Aww, come on Kanata. I don't have any other movie interesting to watch anymore."

Kanata just sighed and fixed his view on the flat-screen television. Santa was out of the view again when he excused himself to go to the kitchen to grab some drinks and snacks.

Half-way through the movie, Kanata found it really pleasing that Jesse Aarons and Leslie Burke had an incredibly strong friendship. _I wish I'd build a strong bond like that with Miyu soon_, he thought to himself.

After the movie ended, Kanata started to cry. Santa had seen this movie a couple of times so he knows how to handle that scene already.

"It's really sad, isn't it? Losing someone you really love like that. Sometimes I ask if there's really God is even real…" Santa suddenly said, breaking the silence between them. He heard a soft sniffle from Kanata as he blew his nose with his wrinkled handkerchief. "Yeah, it really, really is sad." Santa then remembered about Kanata's mother, feeling a little guilty of even watching the movie with him. "I feel a little silly though, we're like fifteen yet we're crying over a children's movie." Santa said, attempting to lighten Kanata up. He heard him sniffle again and received a laugh in response.

"It just couldn't be helped." Kanata said, wiping the tears that were on his cheeks.

.:::::.

"Dad, you remember last morning when I asked you if I could give the Mackey Wilbert book to a certain boy?" Miyu said as she served the cup of coffee to her father who was busy reading a book.

"Mmm. What about it?"

"Well, I offered him to work here…" Miyu said. Hearing this, Mr. Kozuki stopped reading, fixed his glasses and looked at Miyu.

"Why's that honey?" He asked. Although he sounded surprised, he didn't sound angry or anything. For some, it would be quite surprising if your own daughter just hired someone without your consent.

"Well, you do know Hosho Saionji, right?" Miyu asked. Aya and Nanami told her about Kanata's father and the nature of their business so she knew his name. It was as if Mr. Kozuki's ears perked up after hearing the name.

"Yeah," he said, seeming hesitant, "what about him?" he continued, taking a sip from his coffee, he winced as his lips got burned by it. He muffled a small 'ow', "Are you okay, dad?" "I'm fine." He assured her, even though he could still feel the hotness of the coffee in his lips, "So about Hosho Saionji, did you know about what happened to his company?" Mr. Kozuki took another sip again, this time, he made sure he won't get burned, "Yeah, I do… Why do you ask about that all of a sudden?" He asked his daughter.

"I'm friends with his son. You know, the boy who I talked to earlier. The one I offered a job." She said.

"Oh." Was all he could say. It seemed to Miyu that her father wasn't comfortable of talking about Hosho Saionji.

"Are you okay dad?" She asked him again. "Of course I am. I was just thinking about something else… Well anyway, your friend can start tomorrow if he likes." He said as he smiled at her, "Okay dad, I'll tell him. Oh shoot, I don't even know where he lives…" Miyu said, her smile faded into a frown as she forgot to ask him where he lived. It was pretty stupid to employ someone without having any information about them, like an address. "I'm sure he'll come by tomorrow." Mr. Kozuki said, taking another sip from his coffee. It wasn't too hot now. "Okay dad, thanks. You can go back to reading again, I'll be disturbing you by seven o'clock." Miyu said to her father. He was such a reader. He'd spend hours on a book, making sure he'd finish it in a day or two. Since Miyu's mom was abroad, she had substituted her from all the motherly work in their home.

Miyu returned to her room and laid herself on her bed. _I wonder why dad seemed to be a bit uncomfortable talking about Kanata's dad_, she thought to herself. The only thing she knew was that Hosho Saionji used to purchase books from their bookstore a couple of years ago.

.:::::.

Yu Kozuki stopped reading and put the book aside. He fixed his glasses and stood up to go to his room. He opened his bedside table's drawer and got a photo album out. He flipped the pages and stopped when he saw the picture he was looking for.

"So he's your boy..." He muttered to himself. He closed his eyes and tried to remember her smiling face.

"Hitome... You were taken away too soon," he started. Tears streamed down from his eyes, "... not only did you break his heart, you also broke mine..." he continued. He closed the photo album and returned it inside the drawer as he wiped his eyes and his glasses.

"That's why he resembled you a lot..." He said to himself. Although he only saw a little of Kanata, he was sure his face resembled someone's. A smile played in his lips and chuckled a little. "I'm sure our children will get along pretty well. I know you're watching them from somewhere out there, Hitome." He said. He stood up, hearing Miyu's yelling. It was time for their dinner and he needed to go down before Miyu starts beginning to act bossy.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Star Trek, that I do NOT own! I don't own Daa! Daa! Daa! too.**

* * *

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SANTA!"

Santa got the biggest shock of his life when all of his ten maids came up to him from behind and surprised him.

"You scared the heck out of me!" He said as he touched his chest and exhaled air.

"We knew you'd forget your own birthday again, so we thought we ought to buy you something." Said Kisa, the youngest of the maids.

"Thanks Kisa… and everyone. It's really nice… to know someone still remembers your own day…" Santa's voice trailed off. It looked as if he was about to cry. Silence fell upon them that it was so awkward. Just as Kanata was about to say something, the Kurosu's butler, Shin, coughed and smiled directly at Santa.

"Dinner is ready Santa. A happy birthday to you as well." Shin awkwardly said. Santa thanked him and motioned Kanata to follow him to the dining room. The maids and the butler were all happy to see that at least Santa had one friend with him, the last they could remember was when he was about ten years old. Santa stopped on his tracks and turned back, "You guys can all join us too. It would be weird for two guys to eat alone in a really wide dining table. It's like having a date!" Santa said. The maids just giggled and the butler smiled. They all made their way to the dining room where a hearty meal was prepared for the birthday boy.

After eating, Santa first asked one of their maids to clean his bedroom and then he and Kanata went back to the living room.

"How about another movie?" Santa offered.

"Hmm… I think I'll pass," he said, holding the book Miyu gave to him earlier that morning, "I want to read this one for a bit." He continued, "Oh, okay then. I'll just watch Star Trek for, I'll keep the volume not too loud so you can concentrate on reading, or you want to go to the library? It's better and quiet there." _Santa has a… library?_ Kanata thought to himself, "Uh, sure. Where do I go?" He asked Santa, "I'll go with you. I need to get something there too. I left the other CD for Star Trek there." Santa replied as he stood up, Kanata just followed them

As they reached the library, Kanata was simple speechless as he saw the books. There were lots of them. Santa went to the desk that was on the center of the room and retrieved the CD he was looking for. "Got it, just call me at the hall if you need something." "Okay, thanks." "No problem, man." Santa waved as he went out. Kanata first looked around and saw not only the educational books that you usually see at someone's own library, but a lot of novels as well, from different authors. But then, his thoughts came back to the book Miyu gave him. He found a chair, but not the one near the desk since he'd feel a little uneasy sitting like he was the owner of the house, so he sat on a big brown chair not too far from the desk.

.:::::.

"Dad, I'll wash the dishes." Miyu said to her father who already put the gloves in his hands.

"You did last night, it's my turn tonight." He kindly replied with a smile to his daughter.

"Okay dad. I'll just be in my room if you need something. And please, try not to break another plate, okay? Bye dad!" Miyu then ran to her room, not giving her father a chance to talk. He just chuckled. It was almost every time that he'd break something when it was his turn to wash the dishes.

Miyu opened her notebook and got her ball pen. She wrote down the date and shaded the box where a drawing of what the weather was that day was. She then started writing another poem.

_Out of all the new faces I meet each day,_

_I can't seem to get you out of my head,_

_There's something special in you,_

_I can't figure it out, God give me a clue,_

_I saw the sadness in your eyes,_

_I felt the strong urge to comfort you,_

_Wash away the pain you were feeling,_

_That sudden urge was really surprising,_

_Out of all the million faces I met,_

_Yours were the gentlest and honest,_

_I can feel something nice inside my heart,_

_And I'm very sure it won't depart,_

_This is my first, to have met a stranger,_

_Not an ordinary stranger, as you were different,_

_I can feel something good is about to happen,_

_And I'm asking God to let me know when_

_:)_

Miyu closed her notebook and leaned on the desk. She tried picturing him again. She was mesmerized by his brown eyes and smile.

_And that sadness…_

She wanted to get rid of it.

_If we get the chance to be close, I hope I'll be able to comfort him._

"I hope his dad would be able to get back, somehow…" Miyu prayed, "and his stepmother too… I know that you will help them, God."

Miyu placed her notebook on the table next to her bed. She then laid herself on the bed. She looked at the wall clock, it read 8:30. She yawned and closed her eyes until she drifted off to sleep.

.:::::.

Kanata finished reading the fifth chapter. He felt that his eyes were already too heavy for him to continue reading. He looked at the wall clock and it read 9:45. "I think this is enough for tonight, I'll continue tomorrow." He closed the book and walked out of the room.

When he reached the living room, he saw Santa lying on the floor, asleep.

"What a baby…" Kanata teased. He was sure that he was well asleep since he was already drooling on his shirt. He helped his body on the couch and decided to wait for him to wake up. He read a little again when he heard Santa yawn.

"I must've fallen asleep…" He said, "Yeah, you did." Kanata closed the book and turned the t.v. off. "Let's go to sleep." "Okay, I can sleep on the floor. Can I borrow a sleeping bag or something?" Kanata asked, Santa just laughed, "We have an extra bedroom. You can use the guest room. I'm sure the maid gave up on cleaning my room. It's one heck of a mess." "Okay." With that, the two guys went up. Santa led him to the guest room. "There's pretty much everything in here. A t.v., bathroom, DVD player, a computer. It's like a hotel room. Well anyway, you know how my folks are. And we're a huge family! I mean our clan, that is. Well, I'll be out now, my eyes are droopy again. See you in the morning!" Santa waved goodbye and left Kanata.

Since earlier that afternoon, Kanata couldn't help but be amazed because of Santa's house. It's already like a palace that even the guest room looks like an apartment already. He forgot to ask Santa for some spare clothes, but decided to wear whatever would be available.

"There's probably something I can wear on that drawer," he said as he opened it and found blue pajamas, "good, it's my size." He took off his clothes and wore it. He brushes his teeth before he goes to sleep so he went to the bathroom to do his nightly ritual. Afterwards, he collapsed on the bed and drifted off to sleep. But before he could completely enter the world of sleep, he thought about paying Miyu a visit tomorrow, unknown to him that it would be his first day of work.

Miyu dreamed of white horses, together with Kanata, while Kanata dreamed of being in Paris (although he'd never been to Paris before), feeding the pigeons with Miyu. As for Santa, he dreamed of being surrounded by thousands of stores selling old records.

_

* * *

I know it's short, but anyway, I'll write the next chapter soon!_


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't and will never own Daa! Daa! Daa!

* * *

"Yo. Wake up dude." Santa said.

"Wha…?"

"It's like eight in the morning. Aren't you hungry yet?" Santa asked him.

"Uh, a little." Kanat replied as he shifted his body and got his back leaning on the headboard of the bed.

"Well then, let's go downstairs and eat breakfast."

"Aww, you didn't have to wait for me! You're so sweet!" Kanata said and grinned. Santa felt weird inside. This was the first time Kanata acted like this.

"You're weird…"

"I know. I can't stay serious all the time, can I?"

"Yeah, you're right. It's good to hear that."

"Let's go!"

The two boys headed downstairs, greeted by each of the maids who were cleaning the living room, while the others were preparing breakfast.

"Good morning, master Santa, Mr. Kanata," The butler, Shin greeted the two.

"Good morning Shin!" The two chorused. They then took a seat and drank their cup of coffees. Breakfast was then served five minutes later. After that, both said thanks to the maids for the hearty meal.

Kanata and Santa went to the living room. Santa turned on the TV and switched the channel to MTV. Kanata was about to go back to reading the book that Miyu gave him when a thought occurred to him.

"Hey Santa, I think I'm gonna go to the bookstore." He said, closing his book and putting it aside.

"Want me to come with you?" his friend offered.

"Nah, it's okay. I'll be fine." He was about to stand up when Santa asked him if he had a coat to wear.

"Yeah. I was lucky enough to have grabbed one before we got evicted." Kanata smiled. Santa returned a smile and told his friend to be home before lunch.

Since the bookstore wasn't that far from where Santa's house was, Kanata decided to just walk. The cool breeze was soothing his senses. Santa put some extra clothes and winter apparels in the guest room for him before he woke up. He shook his shoulders where snow rested and hugged himself. He still felt cold even with his much safer clothing. He finally arrived at the bookstore after a ten minute walk. Miyu turned around as she heard the bell ring. She gasped as she saw him. A feeling of excitement building inside her.

"Hi!" She greeted him. Kanata could only give her a smile in return and refused to look her in the eye, for he was too shy.

"Hi… I uh… Um, just wanted to drop by today." He stuttered. Miyu giggled at this and called his father. Yu stopped looking at the newspaper and his attention was diverted to Miyu when he heard her call for him. He was expecting a usual customer planning to have a little talk with him as it was the usual thing to happen when Miyu calls him, but was surprised when he saw Kanata. He stood up and put the book aside and made his way to the two teens.

"Dad, this is Kanata. He's the one I told you about." Miyu said to her father. Yu then look at Kanata, and observed him head to foot. He knew it was a bit impolite to do so, but he couldn't help it. _You just look so much like Hitome_. After a while, Yu extended his hand out to Kanata.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Kozuki Yu." He said as they shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you to Mr. Kozuki, my name's Saionji Kanata." He said. Just then, a customer pushed on the desk bell, telling Mr. Kozuki that a customer is about to pay.

"I'll be back." He said to the two teens as he left them. When he appeared out of sight, Miyu arranged some books for a bit and faced Kanata again.

"I forgot to ask for your number yesterday, but it's a good thing you came." Miyu smiled. Kanata didn't know what she meant by that.

"Uh, I don't have a cellphone. I just… had the feeling I'd have to come here today." He replied. He focused his eyes on his shoes. Miyu had a funny feeling that he might have been in love with his shoes. But in reality, he was just too shy to look at her.

"I asked my dad last night and he said it's okay if you start working here." Miyu said. Kanata's head shot up.

"Really?"

"Yup! Really." Miyu smiled.

"Um, when will I start?" He asked her, looking around if Mr. Kozuki would be coming back. He felt nervous around Miyu.

Miyu looked at her golden wristwatch, "My watch tells me… now."

"Oh. Um, do I have to change into some working clothes or something?" He asked. Not really sure about what else he should say. Miyu just laughed at him.

"No, silly! You can wear whatever you like. After all, it'll be only three of us here." She said as she picked up a book that fell from its shelf.

"You mean that your father doesn't have any other employee?"

"Yup. But I'm helping him this month since it's vacation." Miyu explained.

"Oh. I see…" Kanata felt sweat forming on his forehead even if the air-conditioning was strong. He really had no idea what else to say to her.

"Hmm… How about we start off by arranging some books that have just arrived?" She suggested, pointing a finger at the boxes that were placed near the counter.

"Okay." With that, the two started work.

* * *

a/n: Whoa! I am SO sorry to all those out there who waited so long for an update! I forgot that I had written the sixth chapter for this and got it hidden somewhere in my files... Anyway, I won't be promising a next update too soon. I'm still working on lots of stuff, so I'll update late again.


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